Trolley-retrieving device.



G. W. SNOW. TROLLEY RETRIBVING DEVICE. APPLIGATION FILED PEB. 2, 1909. l195 1 ,62% Pgtented Mar. 8, 1910.

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TROLLEY-RETRIEVING DEVICE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1909. Serial No. 475,561.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE WV. SNOW, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State ofvMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrolley'- Retrieving Devices, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in a retriever1 operative,whenever the trolley wheel for an electric railway car becomesdisengaged from the overhead wire and moves upwardly above the wire.

As well known, trolley catchers, so-called, are employed in conjunctionwith the trolley cords, the same having the action and effect, upon thedisengagement ofthe trolley wheel from a trolley wire of checking the`cord before the wlieel has risen more than a few inches above theoverhead wire,-it then becoming necessary for some person to draw,through means of the trolley cord, the trolley down to its properposition.

The present invention pertains toa device which is employed inconjunction with the ordinary trolley catcher and trolley cord andcomprises a member which is subject to pressure from a suitable sourceof power,`

such as a spring, to which member a portion of the trolley cord has anengagement, the device including a catch or detent for the member whichis actuated by the spring or other portion, normally restraining thelatter from its retrieving movement on the trolley cord, but operativewhen such cord is placed under tension, as occasioned by the upwardswinging movement of the trolley pole and wheel, to release the movableineinbei whereby the therewith connected cord.

will be pulledA upon so as to downwardly withdraw the trolley pole andwheel to a position below the overhead wire, prevent-` ing the pole orwheel from striking the transverse trolley wire supports. i

The invention is exemplified in the accom-` panying drawings, describedin conjunction therewith and set forth in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a double-truck electricstreet car, driven from over-head trolley, a portion of the draft-sillat one end thereof being broken away in section showing the retrieverand its cord connection with the over-head trolley-pole; Fig. 2 is aplan view of the retriever, the position of the working parts beingshown as set, and under spring tension; Fig. 3 is a side elevation, withsome parts in section, of the retriever, the position of parts being thesame as in Fig. 1; the plane of section being indicated by the line 3 3,Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 3, but showingthe actuating spring and coacting parts in the position they assumeimmediately following the displacement of the trolley wheel from theoverhead trolley wire; Fig. 5 is a cross sectionof the retriever takenon line 5 5, Fig. 2; and F ig. 6 is a perspective view of the guideblock and the latching and releasing mechanismof the retriever.

In the drawings, 10 is the retriever body or case, and consists in atrough-like metal box open at the top comprising the side walls 12, 12,the bottom wall 13, and one end wall 14. The top edges of the side walls12, 12, are united or bridged across at proper places by the bars 15.These bars are preferably formed integral with the case 10, and arelocated thereon at distances from each end of the case, equalapproximately to one third of the length of the said case.

Each bridge bar 15 has bolted thereto the horizontal member of a rightangular shaped hook 16, the downturned vertical member of which isengaged by and supported in a `socket 17 which is secured to the innerside `of one of the draft-sills 18 of the car, the

`about centrally in the space between the two draft-sills 18 and underthe car platform 19,

.as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

rIhe end wall 14 of theretriever case has formed exteriorly thereon ahub 20, through which is passed the anchor bolt 21, the outsideprotruding end portion of which is screw threaded and provided with thenuts 22. The other end portion of the bolt 21 which is within theretriever case has formed thereon the spirally grooved cylindricalanchor-head 23 to which is secured one end of the retriever spring 24.

The diameter of the spring holding bolthea-d 23 is about that of thespring 24, and such head protrudes a short distance within the coilsofthe said spring, the spiral grooves on the head 23 receiving andsecurely anchoring the engaging end of the spring as shown in Figs. 2, 3and 4.

The spring 24 has a length approximately Patented Mai'. d, 191thone-half that of the retriever case 10, and such spring at its free endportion has the last few coils thereof so wound as to produce a conicalextremity for the spring and to form a closed tapered sockettherewithin.

The socket 25 on the free end of the spring 24 is adapted to receive andsupport therewithin the conical or tapered head 26 of the sheavecarrying draft bolt 27. This bolt`27 extended beyond the apex of theconical head 26 is for a short distance of a reduced diameter equal tothe end opening in the socket 25 of the spring 24, and has formed on itsend, opposite the ltapered head 2G, a forked bearin for the cord sheave28. This sheave 28 and its forked bearing is small enough to passthrough the reduced opening in the socket portion of the spring 24 tothe end that the practical assemblage of the parts constituting theanchorage end, and the draft end of the spring is provided for, andwhich in practice is as follows: The draft-bolt 27 is irst insertedwithin the coils of the spring 24, with the sheave 28 ahead; it is thenpushed through the entire length of the spring 24 until the surface ofthe tapered head 26 is seated within the tapered socket 25, and the bolt27 and sheave 28 protruding therefrom. The spirally grooved head 23 ofthe anchor-bolt 2l is then screwed into engagement with the end coils atthe anchorage end of the spring 24, after which the said spring, withits draft and anchor heads in place is placed within the retriever case10.

The bolt portion 21 of the anchor head 23 is then passed through the hub20 of the end wall 14, and secured thereto by the nuts 22.

A guide block 30, formed with a base portion 31 which is of a widthabout equal to the inside width of the retriever case, is slidablysupported on the bottom wall 13 thereof. The upper face of the baseportion of this block is recessed as indicated at 6() to receive theportion of the spring 24.

A front raised extension 32 of the guide block v30 is formed with arecess 33 therein which receives the reduced portion of the draft-bolt27, which is secured there within by thevscrew fastened cap 34. Thewidth of the recess 33 in the guide block is less than the width of thesheave bearing end of the draft bolt 27 which, when the cap 34 isscrewed in place is thus securely locked to the guide block.

Projecting outwardly from each side of the base portion 31 of the guideblock are short guide pins 31:l which project through and are guided inthe long slots 12, 12 formed in the side Walls 12, 12, at the bottomsthereof.

A setting lever 31b extends horizontally through slots 12a of theretriever case 10, in a direction transversely of the case and behindthe guide block 30. One end of this lever is bolted to the underside ofthe car platform at 31d and constitutes the fulcrum therefor; the freeend has a handle formed thereon vby means of which the lever is operatedmanually to force the spring 24 by engagement with the block 30 to itsset or latched position, seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

At a point on the end face of the guide block extension 32, and belowthe sheave 28 is secured the downwardly bent flange end of a latchspring 35. The other end vof the said latch spring has formed thereon adownwardly bent hook 3G which is adapted to engage the slightly raisedend portion 37 of the bottom wall 13 at the open end of the retrievercase. A concave roller 38 is mounted adjacent the Said open end of thcretriever case at a point above the latch engaging end portion 37. Abridge bar 39 adjacent the roller sheave 38 is formed in the retrievercase and extends across the top portion of the case between the walls12, 12.

The rope or cord 40 connecting with the trolley pole 48 is secured byone end to the bridge-bar 39, as shown in Figs. v3 and 4,

and extends from this point of attachment to and around the draft boltsheave 28, and thence through a staple 42 secured to or formed on thelatch spring 35 adjacent its hook or free end; the further course of thetrolley cord from this point is upwardly to the concave roller sheave 38which it engages, and from thence vertically up to the cord guides 45 onthe end of the car roof, from which it passes in a course somewhatinclined from a vertical line to the sheave 47 on the upwardlyspringpressed trolleypole 48. After passing over and around the saidsheave 47 the course of the cord is downward at more or less of anincline and parallel to the upward course just described through thecord guide 45 from which guides it passes vertically down to thetrolley-catcher 50, secured to the rear platform fender of the car.

The retriever, forming the subject of this invention as above described,is designed to be used in connection with any of the trolley catchers incommon use, and to coart therewith in a manner shortly to be described.

'l`he operation of the retriever is as follows: The trolley pole 48being in its operative position with its trolley wheel 4S) in connectionwith the overhead electric trolley wire a', the car conductor reachingnn- Y" take up all sla ckness of cord between it and the retriever, andwhile the car is running and while the trolley wheel 49 is in engagementwith the trolley wire fr the said trolley catcher automaticallymaintains the cord 40 in a taut, but not a strained, condition; but inthe event of the trolley wheel t9 being displaced, or accidentallyjumping the trolley wire the trolley catcher 50 acts almost instantly tostop the violent movement of the trolley pole a8 upwardly impelled byits spring 48a, but leaving it in its stopped position as held by suchcatcher 50 with the trolley wheel 49 in a position somewhat above thetrolley wire fr. lhis position of the trolley wheel above the wire :c ifnot instantly drawn below the said wire, is, with the car ruiming underits unchecked impetus, a menace to the cross supporting wires which atdistances not far apart extend fi'oin the trolley wire ai to supportingpoles on either side of the track, but a complete avoidance of the abovestated danger is provided by the instantaneous action of the retrieverwhich is as follows The instant the trolley catcher' 50 acts to stop therunning out-of cord t() therefrom it brings a reaction on the other endof the cord which passes into the retriever case l() through the staple42 on the top of latch spring 35. A reference to Fig. 3 will show thatthe course of the cord Ll0 from the roller sheave 3S to the sheave 2S isbent downwardly at an angle to where it passes through the staple l2 tothe very important end that the sudden pull eX- erted on retriever endof the cord, as above described, acts to draw the cord between thesheaves 38 and 28 to a straight line, and in so doing raises the latchspring 35 from its holding engagement with the case edge S7, resultingin the full retractile force of spring 24.-, causing the rapid drawingback of the sheave 28, to the position shown in Fig. 4:, and therebydrawing back with it a double course of cord 40, and a correspondingdownward hauling of the trolley pole i8 a distance sufficient to holdthe trolley wheel Ll5) carried thereon, at a point below the wire andwhere there are no cross support wires to be endangered thereby.

rllhe device including the components illustrated in Figs. 2 to 6inclusive constitutes a mechanism which as an entirety is operativewithout necessarily having combined therewith a trolley catcher, for itmay be understood that the trolley cord connected and engaged with thedevice as shown might, after engagement with the trolley pole, beengaged otherwise than with a trolley cord stop or catcher such asreferred to, and indicated at the location 50, in which case, however, aslack in the cord would be left corresponding to the maximum,undulations, or variations in the height of the trolley wire; but, ofcourse,

the provision of the trolley stop or catcher,

which has the well known function of normally operating as a slackabsorber, is advantageous in conjunction with my present retriever inthe manner substantially as. v shown.

l. In a trolley retrieving device, in combination, a support having alongitudinal slideway, a block slidable therein, a spring having by oneend an engagement with said support and by its other an engagement withsaid block and a sheave appurtenant to said block, and another sheaveappurtenant to said support adjacent the block, a detent carried by theblock and engaging the support, a cord having engagement with a trolleypole, one end thereof being secured to said support, an intermediateportion thereof being looped around said first named sheave and thencepassing with a bent course to a running engagement on the second namedsheave and having an engagement, whereby the course thereof is normallybent, with said detent, and operative by an extraordinary draft thereonto straighten the line thereof between said sheaves for moving thedetent to a releasing position whereby said block is liberated to thesliding action of said spring thereon for imparting a draft movement tosaid cord.

2. In a trolley retrieving device, in coinbination, a trough-shapedsupport having a portion to be engaged by a detent and having slotwaysat opposite sides thereof, a block slidable in said trough-shapedsupport, provided with oppositely extended studs engaged in saidslotways, having in conjunction therewith a sheave and carrying a springdetent operative to engage said catch portion of the support, a springhaving one end connected to the support and the other to said block,another sheave mounted on the end portion of the su eport, a trolleycord having an end thereof connected to the support having a bightthereof passed around the blockW carried sheave, thence passing toengagement in said spring detent and thence having a running engagementon the sheave in said support.

Signed by me at Springfield, Mass., in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

GEORGE W. SNOV.

Witnesses:

WM. S. BELLows, G. R. DnisooLL.

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